Senior Software Engineer - Gameplay & Experience

Electronic Arts (EA); Redwood City (CA); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 256,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to shape and implement innovative gameplay experiences. You will collaborate with product leaders, designers, engineers, and researchers to bring ideas to life, architect new features, and refine requirements through hands-on playtests and reviews.

You will contribute to engine and gameplay initiatives, ensuring alignment with core architecture while building scalable systems and telemetry for feature visibility.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience in AAA game engines.
• Experience with large C++ codebases.
• Experience implementing or designing gameplay features.
• Proficiency across gameplay domains (character, camera, controls, UI, audio, lighting, animation, shaders, VFX, physics).
• Ability to navigate unfamiliar areas of a large codebase and become productive quickly.
• Experience collaborating with others to refine product vision and research goals into production-ready engine features.
• Experience with design tools such as Miro and Figma.
• Experience contributing to engine architecture or developer-facing platforms.
• Proficiency in CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab) and version control (Perforce, Git).

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain performant, stable gameplay features.
• Align feature implementations with core engine architecture and technical strategy.
• Refine user journey requirements with engineering and gameplay guidance.
• Implement telemetry and analytics integrations for feature visibility and tracking.
• Contribute to engine, content, agentic, and research initiatives to build scalable solutions.
• Identify gameplay technical risks and provide mitigation plans.
• Create wireframes and automated test suites for gameplay systems.

Skills

AAA engines

C++

Gameplay features

Codebase navigation

Cross-functional

Miro

Figma

Engine architecture

CI/CD

Perforce

Git

Tools

Miro

Figma

Jenkins

GitLab

Perforce

Git

Job description

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.
At EA, we believe games are powerful because they bring together multiple ways people engage: play, watch, create, and connect. And increasingly, the biggest entertainment platforms aren't just places to consume content — they're places where communities build.
Creator-made content is already a proven part of EA's history — from community creation tools in Battlefield to The Gallery in The Sims 4. We believe new creative technologies and tools will expand how players engage with and contribute to our experiences, supported by thoughtful product design, safety systems, and global reach. Our focus is on enabling more players to participate in creative expression by making creation easier, safer, and more rewarding.
As a Senior Software Engineer, you will collaborate with product leaders, gameplay designers, engineers, and researchers to bring ideas to life. You will develop and architect new gameplay experiences and refine existing ones. You will also impact and shape gameplay requirements through play tests, feedback sessions, and other hands‑on reviews. Your ownership will extend beyond technical planning and implementation, delving into the design of how a feature can best impact players' gaming journeys.
This is a hybrid role, onsite three days a week, in Redwood City, Montreal, or Vancouver.
You will report to the Technical Director.

Responsibilities

• You will build and maintain performant, stable, and engaging gameplay features.
• You will align feature implementations with core engine architecture and technical strategy.
• You will refine user journey requirements with strong engineering and gameplay guidance.
• You will implement telemetry and analytics integrations for feature visibility and tracking.
• You will contribute to engine, content, agentic, and research initiatives to build scalable solutions.
• You will identify gameplay technical risks, blockers, and architecture pitfalls, providing clear mitigation plans.
• You will create wireframes and automated test suites for gameplay systems.
  

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including experience with AAA game engines (e.g., Frostbite, Unity, Unreal, Godot, or proprietary)
• Experience with large C++ codebases
• Experience implementing or designing gameplay features
• Proficiency across one or multiple gameplay domains (e.g., character, camera, controls, UI, audio, lighting, animation, shaders, VFX, ray casting, splines, physics fundamentals)
• Experience navigating unfamiliar areas of a large codebase and becoming productive quickly in tools, pipeline, or runtime systems
• Experience collaborating with others to refine product vision research goals into production‑ready engine features
• Experience with design tools such as Miro and Figma
• Experience contributing to engine architecture or developer‑facing platforms.
• Proficiency in CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab)
• Proficiency in VCS tools (e.g., Perforce, Git)
  

Pay Transparency - North America

Compensation And Benefits

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$141,400 - $204,400 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$165,000 - $256,000 USD
  

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.
In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full‑time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.
For Canada, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top‑up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full‑time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.
We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well‑being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.